New generation of Saudi royals set to rule

The cabinet shuffle comes as the US-allied Gulf monarchy faces a number of economic and security challenges
The Saudi monarchy's recent shake-up of its succession plan catapults a younger generation of royals into leadership roles at a time when the country is attempting to assert regional political and military leadership and reshape its ties with Western allies, analysts say
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In a royal decree issued on Wednesday, King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud sidelined his 69-year-old half-brother as crown prince, replacing him with his nephew. Reportedly upon his own request, Crown Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz was relieved from his post and replaced with the interior minister, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who led a crackdown on al-Qaeda in Saudi Arabia nearly a decade ago.
King Salman also appointed his own son, Defence Minister Mohammed bin Salman, as deputy crown prince, and replaced the ageing Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal with the kingdom's Washington ambassador, Adel al-Jubeir.
"This marks the first time in the kingdom's history where a grandson of the founding king, Abdulaziz al-Saud ascends to the role of crown prince, and the changes represent a generational shift in power at the top," Mansour al-Marzouqi, a Saudi political researcher, told Al Jazeera.

 source: Aljazeera